HP is the largest computer maker around with a business that spans the globe and reaches into the corporate and consumer markets. The company recently forced the resignation of its CEO Mark Hurd after allegations of sexual harassment and falsified expense statements.

The CEO of Oracle Lawrence Ellison is speaking out in support of Hurd and condemning HP's board for Hurd’s departure. Ellison and Hurd are reportedly close friends, though the companies do compete on some levels and work together on other projects.

Ellison sent an email to the New York Times stating, "The H.P. board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago. That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn’t come back and saved them."

Ellison continued in the email claiming that, "In losing Mark Hurd, the H.P. board failed to act in the best interest of H.P.’s employees, shareholders, customers and partners. The H.P. board admits that it fully investigated the sexual harassment claims against Mark and found them to be utterly false."

According to Ellison, a debate amongst the HP board was raging on whether or not to disclose the allegations of sexual harassment to the public. Hurd reportedly didn’t see the need to force disclosure of the allegations after an investigation by the HP board found that the claims were false.

Hurd and the woman involved in the case, Jodie Fisher, both maintain that there was no romantic relationship between them. However, Fisher reportedly settled the claims with Hurd for an undisclosed sum of money.

Why there would have been a settlement if nothing happened is unknown. HP maintains that the reason for Hurd to be forced to resign was due to falsifying expense reports in an effort to conceal the relationship.

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Let me tell you about falsifying expense reports...My partner used to work for an investment banker. The traders would frequently go out of country to a client's site to close a deal... They were expected (by the client) to do some wining and dining, (especially the Japanese). There expense reports read like something out of the latest best seller, ie so blatently false that no one would believe them, yet they fit within the company's guide lines.

She asked one such why he couldn't just file a truthful report... To which he replied something like, You want me to close a .5 billion deal by feeding them double cheeseburgers?